Clothes prop



Se t. 11, 1934. A. E. SHRIMPTON 1,973,018

CLOTHES PROP Filed 001:. 30, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor 07$ xix/v IT/.7 7"0 2' a (\J ,y @'m Attorney Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a clothes prop and has for its prime object to provide a device of this nature formed in foldable sections in combination with means whereby when the sections are extended said means will hold the sections in rigid alined relationship with each other.

Another very important object of the invention resides in the provision of a clothes prop of this nature which is simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable, easy to manipulate, handy, thoroughly efficient and reliable in use and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the above and numerous other objects in view as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the prop showing the same in use.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the central portion thereof taken opposite to that shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the prop holder.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of one end of the holder prop.

Figure '7 is a top plan of the other end of the prop, and 35 Figure 8 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail it will be seen that numerals 5 and 6 denote two sections hingedly connected together by a hinge including leaves '7 and 8, the leaf 7 being attached to the section 5 by means of screws 9 while the leaf 8 is attached to the section 6 by bolts 10. A channel member comprises an oblong plate 11 having side flanges 12 extending at right 45 angles therefrom. The plate 11 is secured to the hinged end of section 6 on the side opposite to that to which the leaf 8 is fixed by means of said bolts and is adapted to extend along the hinged end of the section 5 when the same is swung in alinement with the section 6 with the flanges straddling the two ends of the sections. A bolt 18 passes through the flanges 12 through the section 6. A button 14 is mounted on the section 5 by means of the screw 15, and is turnable to engage the plate 11 of the channel member thereby holding the two sections 5 and 6 in rigid alinement with each other. When the button is turned out of the Way the sections are swung to folded position shown in Figure 5. A clip of U-shaped formation is denoted by the numeral 16 that is mounted on the free end portion of the section 6 to receive the free end portion of the section 5 when the sections are in folded position. The free end of the section 5 is provided with a clothes line receiving notch 1'7. As will be seen from Figures 5 and '7, the upper section 5 is shorter than the lower section 6 so that when the sections are folded together, the notch carrying end of the section 5 is spaced from the lower end of 70 the section 6 so that when the pro-p is folded, the notched end of the section 5 will not come in contact with anydirt that may have collected on the lower end of the lower section 6. If this dirt adhered to the notched end of the section 5, it would be liable to soil the clothes line and the clothes when the device is set up for supporting the clothes line.

It is thought that the construction, utility and advantages of this invention will now be clearly so understood without a more detailed description thereof. Changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

A clothes line prop of the class described comprising upper and lower sections, a leaf hinge connecting the sections together, one leaf being fastened to one face of the upper section, bolts for connecting the other leaf to the corresponding face of the lower section, a channel member embracing the upper end of the lower section and fastened to said lower section by the said bolts, said channel member projecting above the upper end of the lower section for receiving the lower end of the upper section whensaid upper section is swung into alignment with the lower section, a turnbutton carried by the lower part of the upper section and engaging the upper end of the web part of the channel member when turned to a certain position, for holding the sections in alignment. I

ALFRED E. SHRIMPTON. 

